This application claims the priority benefit of Taiwan application serial no. 92205187, filed on Apr. 2, 2003.
1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a card connector. More particularly, the present invention relates to a card connector with a reinforcing structure.
2. Description of Related Art
Personal digital assistant (PDA) is a versatile portable device used by professional and non-professional people alike. The design concept of a personal digital assistant is to provide a user with an electronic (digital) notebook capable of registering and sorting out important data that may be of some help in managing travel schedules, organizing meetings, and providing communication memos. With the big leap in the operating speed of computers, the ease of Internet connection and the advance in wireless communication technologies, most personal digital assistants now provide a variety of functions including wireless communication, network accessing, playing games and multimedia services. PDA is frequently regarded as a xe2x80x9cpalm-top computerxe2x80x9d.
In general, a PDA has a built-in data storage device with moderate data storage capacity for holding user""s files and data. However, to provide extra data storage capacity, a small memory card can be added to the PDA. At present, a large number of memory cards with many different types of specifications are found in the market. The most common memory cards are the secure digital card (SD Card) and the compact-flash card (CF Card). To utilize an external memory card as an extra data storage device, a card connector capable of accommodating a memory card of the desired specifications must be installed on the PDA. When a memory card is properly plugged into the card connector on the PDA, file or data can read, write or erase through signals carried via the card connector. In addition, elongated expansion cards for plugging into the card connector of a PDA at one end and protruding outside the PDA at the other end are also available in the market. The elongated expansion card includes, for example, a digital camera card for capturing image or picture data from a miniature digital camera or a wireless local area network (WLAN) card for connecting up with a wireless local area network (WLAN).
FIG. 1A is a top view of a conventional PDA card connector 100 and an elongated expansion card 10 to be inserted into the card connector 100. As shown in FIG. 1A, the card connector 100 has an insulation body 110 and a plurality of terminals 120. The insulation body 110 is an integrative unit having two side beams 112, 114 and a horizontal beam 116 joined together to form a U-shaped frame. Typically, the insulation body 110,is made from plastic with some areas strengthened and OLE_LINK2protected from electrostatic dischargeOLE_LINK2 by incorporating some metallic casing material (not shown). Furthermore, the side beams 112, 114 have sliding grooves 112a, 114a suitable for accommodating the two edges of the elongated expansion card 10 such as a digital camera card or a wireless local area network (WLAN) card. The horizontal beam 116 defines a terminal plugging slot 118 for receiving the front ends of the socket terminals 12 of the expansion card 10. In addition, terminals 120 are positioned on the horizontal beam 116. One end of the terminal 120 is a free end 122 while the other end is a fixed end 124. The free end 122 of the terminal 120 extends in the terminal plugging slot 118. When the front end of the elongated expansion card 10 is plugged into the terminal plugging slot 118, the free ends 122 of the terminals 120 are elastically pressed and electrically connected to the socket terminals 12 of the elongated expansion card 10. Meanwhile, the fixed ends 124 of the terminals 120 extend beyond the horizontal beam 116 and are fixed and electrically connected to a printed circuit board 20.
Note that the fixed ends 124 of the terminals 120 of the conventional card connector 100 are fixed onto the printed circuit board 20 through surface mounting technology due to the limit space within a PDA. However, with further miniaturization of the PDA, the thickness of the PDA body is further reduced. Because one end of the elongated expansion card 10 is exposed outside the PDA body 30 as shown in FIG. 1B, any external forces acting on the elongated expansion card 10 (such as dropping the PDA vertically onto the floor) will be directly transmitted to the card connector 100. As a result of the impact on the card connector 100, the fixed ends 124 of the terminals 120 will likely break away from the printed circuit board 20 and lead to a failed connection. Worse, the loose card connector 100 can possibly further impinge on other electronic components (not shown) on the printed circuit board 20 to damage the normal function of the PDA.
Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide a card connector with a reinforcing structure for reinforcing the strength of the card connector.
To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, the invention provides a card connector with a reinforcing structure set up on a circuit board. The card connector comprises an insulated main body, a plurality of terminals and a reinforcing structure. The insulated body has two side beams and a horizontal beam. The side beams are attached to the respective ends of the horizontal beam to form a U-shaped frame body. The side beams each have a sliding groove capable of accommodating the two side edges of aplug-in elongated expansion card. Furthermore, the horizontal beam has at least a terminal plugging slot for accommodating the socket terminals of the elongated expansion card. In addition, terminals are set up in the horizontal beam with one end of each terminal extending towards the terminal plugging slot and the other end of the terminal extending away from the terminal plugging slot. The ends of the terminals away from the terminal plugging slot are in turn fastened and electrically connected to the printed circuit board by surface mounting technology. The reinforcing structure is set up on one side of the horizontal beam away from the terminal plugging slot. The reinforcing structure includes a bump bar fixed over the circuit board. The bump bar has a comb shaped surface for engaging a vertical rear surface of the horizontal beam. Furthermore, the teeth of the comb roughly occupy the space between the ends of neighboring terminals.
According to one embodiment of this invention, the bump bar is attached to the printed circuit board through surface mounting. Besides, the bump bar can have a threaded bolt extension that can pass through the printed circuit board and the reinforcing structure includes a lock nut that can screw onto the threaded bolt to lock the printed circuit board and the bump bar tightly together. Furthermore, the top end of the bump bar may incorporate a pressing block that contacts top surface of the horizontal beam to increase the strength at the top end of the insulated body.
According to one embodiment of this invention, the reinforcing structure can be a screw and with the bump bar having an internally threaded hole. The screw passes through the printed circuit board and screws into the threaded hole in the bump bar so that the printed circuit board and the bump bar are locked tightly together. Furthermore, the top end of the bump bar may incorporate a pressing block engaging a top surface of the horizontal beam to increase the strength of the connector in resisting an external force. In addition, the reinforcing structure can be a screw and a nut and with the bump bar having a through hole. The screw passes through the through hole in the bump bar and the printed circuit board so that the nut can be screwed onto the exposed end of the screw to lock the bump bar and the printed circuit board together.
According to a further embodiment of this invention, the reinforcing structures can beattached to the outer casing of the PDA. The bump bar is riveted to the outer casing and located between the outer casing and the printed circuit board. A screw extends from a bottom of the printed circuit board through the printed circuit board to threadedly engage in the bump bar. Thus, the outer casing, the bump bar and the printed circuit board are connected together. Still a further embodiment of the present invention, the reinforcing structure has a shielding securely fixed to the card connector. The shielding has a portion extending rearwards to a position behind the terminals of the connector. A screw extends through the extended portion of the shielding and the printed circuit board to threadedly engage with a nut at a bottom face of the printed circuit. The screw has a head abutting against a vertical portion of the shielding, whereby a forced acting on the connector can be effectively resisted by the assistance of the reinforcing structure.
This invention deploys a reinforcing structure to strengthen the card connector. Hence, the fixed terminals on the card connector are protected against electrical disconnection due to impact forces acting on the elongated expansion card (due to a free fall of the PDA body from a high point to the ground).
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary, and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.